One of Frederick’s newest nonprofits is especially near and dear to my soul because their goal is “to empower children to heal trauma and build resilience through the transformative power of art and education…” CREATIVITY FOR KIDS! Using art to heal trauma! Here in Frederick! I love it so much.
When Amplified Change asked me to be a part of their Launch Celebration, by creating an interactive piece of art that will go in their eventual physical location, I was all the way in.
They wanted a gigantic version of their logo (a sprawling tree) with leaves their attendees could write on. Everyone who came to the event would write one word on a leaf that described what Amplified Change meant to them, and we would fasten the leaves to the painting for its eventual display.
The original design I had for this tree was far less elaborate than the one we ended up with. But as luck would have it, right before I started painting, my dog -Joanie- broke her leg. For the next few weeks, Joanie couldn’t really be left unattended for long and our schedule changed a bit. All of a sudden I had hours and HOURS of extra time sitting next to Joanie on the floor that I turned into this incredible painting.
This tree might be my favorite piece of art I’ve created so far (I wonder how many times I’ll get to say that – so fun). I can feel its energy when I look at it. It feels ALIVE. I want to paint one of my own for my wall at home. I can’t wait to see it on the wall at Amplified Change.
Event photo credit goes to the amazing Acacia.
Check out the reel about this project on Instagram here:
